With November designated as American Indian Heritage month, members of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ Pow Wow Club have been busy. With presentations and performances throughout the area, the group is also preparing for their participation in the annual Thanksgiving Pow Wow set for next week in Poarch.

The group performed during a Tuesday morning assembly at Escambia County Middle School to share the history of the local Tribe as well as other Native American tribes.

Alex Alvarez, cultural educator for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, said performances like the one at ECMS has filled their calendar this month.

“This group is really busy during this time of year,” Alvarez said. “We have been to so many places and performed so many times. It’s a busy time of the year for us, but we certainly enjoy what we’re doing.”

The group, made up of young members of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians presented “Through Indian Eyes,” a story of Alabama’s first people. Native American students at Escambia County Middle School presented the story during Tuesday’s assembly.

Alvarez said the Pow Wow Club is best known for their dancing performances.

“We are asked to perform at all sorts of places,” Alvarez said. “We will perform just about anywhere we’re asked and it doesn’t have to be in November.”

Alvarez said the group would be performing later this week for the residents at the Century Nursing Care Center.

“We are happy to perform and give our presentations,” Alvarez said. “It’s a pleasure to tell the story of our culture and heritage.”

Although performances take up a good bit of the group’s time, Alvarez said the club members are constantly looking ahead to the Thanksgiving Pow Wow performance and dance competition.

“We have been preparing for the Thanksgiving Pow Wow for months,” Alvarez said. “We will be performing during the Pow Wow and there will be some competition for our dancers. It is the biggest event of the year for the Tribe and we’re glad to be a part of it.”

The Thanksgiving Pow Wow, an annual event held as a homecoming for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, will be held Thursday and Friday next week on the Tribal grounds in the Poarch community.

Pow Wow gates open at 10 a.m. each day. Admission is $5 per person. For additional information concerning dance and drum competitions or other events planned for the two-day festival, visit the PBCI Web site at www.poarchcreekindians.org, or contact the Cultural Affairs department at 368-9136.